Written by a variety of contributors, this blog serves as the official voice of the Local Search Association. Stop by this blog for the latest news on anything and everything impacting the local search sphere.

Moz produces some amazing practical and tactical local SEO content. Miriam Ellis is one of the best in the biz, and not only does she create some insightful and creative articles, she finds some fantastic contributing experts to share their own deep dives.

In all honesty, it's tricky including BrightLocal because they recently added a review gen product, but their research is so darn good! While we hope you still see the advantages of Grade.us for your review management, Jamie Pitman has done a great job educating the community on Local SEO.

Not a blog, but might as well be. This forum routinely features articles, posts, discussions, and insights from the hottest voices in local search. Pulling out representative posts is a little less straightforward here, but if you're serious about local, join up, get the updates sent to your inbox, and get involved.

Full transparency: Grade.us sponsors the forum because we know it's one of the most fantastic places for SEO experts to go, learn and contribute to the online review management industry!

2018's Best Local SEO Articles

Awesome insights, mostly from blogs that don't strictly cater to local SEO.

Here Are 7 Killer Steps on How to Win at Local SEO - SEM Rush always has amazing guest contributors, and this post by Paul Paquin is no exception. This one does offer some ideas utilizing SEM Rush's tool, but it provides some inspiration nonetheless.

2018's Best Paid Tools for Local SEO

I'm not going to talk up Grade.us here, cause I mean...yeah. We rock, and you're already in the right place to find out all about us. Here's everything else you might need.

Moz Local - Moz Local makes citation building easy by helping you send accurate information to all the major aggregators that send information to profiles across the web.

Screaming Frog - On-site SEO plays a big role in local search results. This tool helps you analyze yours.

SEM Rush - They're a bit more expensive than your average tool, but they provide an incredibly powerful Search tool that works really well for local ranking with guidance on snippets, keyword research, content idea generation and a library of educational webinars.

Buzzstream - An intensive link-building tool with a focus on reaching local influencers.

Yext - They have an effective and powerful product when it comes to listings management. With a relationships across many citation publishers, they have a strong finger on the pulse of the local directory ecosystem.

The Local SEO Experts to Follow in 2018 and Beyond

There's some necessary overlap between the best blogs and some of the top professionals here.

Phil Rozek - He did local SEO before it was cool. Schedule one of his Mastermind sessions if you've hit a sticky widget, or just follow him on Twitter to stay super-informed about the state of local search.

Dana DiTomaso - Writer for the Moz Blog, President of Kickpoint Inc, Dana is a common face at digital marketing panels, conventions, and events. Follow her at @danaditomaso.

Joy Hawkins - Owner of Sterling Sky, major contributor to Local U and the new owner of the Local Search Forum. She'll keep you on top of the latest news and she'll do it with aplomb. You can follow her here.

Ben Fisher - A GMB top contributor, local search expert with plenty of tips and tools to share, and owner of Steady Demand a SEO focused social media management agency.

Andrew Shotland - CEO and founder of Local SEO Guide. He's been a major force on the web since practically the invention of the Internet, responsible for launching NBC.com, InsiderPages (now CityPages) and more. Follow him at @localseoguide.

2018's Best Ebooks, Whitepapers, and Other Resources

Here are a few long-form resources you might want to snag.

Your Free Guide to Effective Local SEO - On its surface this is a 1 page worksheet. But it's chock full of bullet points that link to dozens of other blog posts and resources. This is like a local SEO crash-course.

The Expert's Guide to Local SEO - Issued by Local U, this is a 270 page local SEO training manual, updated monthly. Downside? This guide is anything but free. Upside? You'll be an expert yourself by the time you're done reading it.

Timeline of Local SEO Changes in 2018 - The big truth about any kind of SEO is it's worse than the weather in...well, any city really, cause people say it no matter where you go. "Stick around, it'll change." Here's what went down in 2018.

What else do you got??

Know about an awesome local search resource from 2018 that I missed?

Please let us know in the comments below!

About the Author

Carmen Rane Hudson

I’m a freelance writer and content creator who specializes in helping digital marketing agencies, SEO consultants, and local SEO gurus make their clients very happy.

Local SEO in 2018: The Best Articles, Tools, Blogs, People and Resources was last modified: October 17th, 2018 by Carmen Rane Hudson

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